Legal Analysis: Is PTSD a defense to a Crime?

1,585 views · Published 15 June 2018 · 1:27 · Indexed 23 September 2026

Channel: Shouse Law Group Channel · 2018 · Education

Watch on YouTube

When is post traumatic stress disorder a defense to a criminal charge? In this video, a California defense lawyer explains

PTSD can often be used to challenge or undermine the intent element of a crime, much the way temporary insanity does. The presence of PTSD does not mean the person did not commit the criminal act in question, it means that he may not have had the requisite mens rea or criminal intent necessary to be convicted.

Veterans and others who suffer from post traumatic stress order, who have been charged with a crime, should consult with a criminal defense lawyer to see whether the PTSD defense applies.

More from this channel